Rawk's 2023 Valentine's Letters

Generally speaking, Kyo was perfectly good at writing poems, and he was certainly good at sending formal letters and the like. He'd been doing both for much of his life, so this one shouldn't have been any different. But perhaps it was the context of this letter in particular that struck him differently. Maybe it was simply the fact that the circumstance was unusual. Either way, Kyo felt roughly as confident in the poem as he imagined he would ever be.

Sending it, at least, was somewhat easier. He folded it neatly, sealed it, and addressed it in the same way that he would address any other missive he was sending off to the Gotei from the Sawachika estate. So far as the retainer he was sending knew, it was simply business, and the letter itself would hardly look out of place on the desk of its recipient.


Though, then again, it wasn't terribly common that 20th seats received formal missives from a noble house, he supposed. Ah well. It was already sent.

Another year, another set of obligatory chocolates to the single male still in Shaoling's life in any meaningful capacity. Of course, one could probably have gleaned something from the fact that finding chocolates was hardly common out in the wastelands. One would almost certainly have had to go out of their way to find them, or even to make them by hand.

Of course, it would have been foolish to ever ask if either of those had happened. And even if one survived the aftermath, they certainly wouldn't receive any answer.

Yuujin,
You’ve continued to excel in your training. Very well done. I imagine traveling so frequently is difficult for someone of your age and experience, but you avoid being a hindrance in the slightest. Enjoy a day of rest, if you’d like.

-Shaoling

P.S. Wasps don’t make honey. They do, however, steal it.

Attached to the neat box of chocolates was a small jar of honey, tightly sealed with wax. Where had it come from? Well, who could say?

To my Master,

I don't ever actually call you that, do I? But when it comes to something all fancy and formal like this, I think it at least makes a little sense to. I mean, that's what a zanpakuto is supposed to call its wielder, right? Then again, I think you'd probably get annoyed if I ever actually called you that, so we'll just leave it at Erika-chan like I usually call you.

Anyway, that's not really why I'm writing this letter. It's Valentine's Day, after all, and you're definitely smart enough to know what that means. I thought a lot about how to write this down, but I'm not much of a poet or anything. I know you don't really like poetry much though, so I guess that works out.

香ちゃん大好き。

Anyway, how about we take a little trip camping? Just for a few days or something. It's been a long time since we spent any time just the two of us. Work and all that.

Love,
Kiaishi

Hoo boy. This one was might awkward for Ira, probably more than he'd really expected. At the same time, though, there was definitely something to be said about the little boost of confidence that he got from not having to say stuff like this in person. It'd been a while since he did much of anything properly romantic besides dating, so writing things down and sending them off was nice.

Kasha,

Happy Valentine's day. I remember hearing they celebrate that over in Soul Society and Japan by having girls send chocolate to the guy they like, right? Wouldn't say I quite fit the bill, but I'm probably close enough, and besides, it's a good opportunity to write to you anyway. Sorry if it's a little long of a letter, but call me old fashioned, I like writing down important stuff in letters.

I'll be honest, it's still a little odd sometimes to think I'm with you, though I don't mean that in a bad way. I haven't had anything serious since my wife passed, and I've sure as hell never been interested in a guy before. I don't know if it's this body or I just never met the right guy, but I'm not the type of guy that worries about things like that. I like you, even if I don't think I'm great at saying that directly. Maybe I'm just trying to look cool when we're together, who knows.

Sighing to himself as he wrote that bit down, Ira thought about anything else he wanted to say here, the back of his pen tapping idly against the desk before he started to write once more.

Anyway, looking forward to our next usual meetup. I've still got a few things in mind, need to teach you to fish and all that. And I'll probably have to give you a kiss next time, you charmer.

Lo
Be
Ti
-Ira

Rubbing his temples, Ira was a little annoyed that he'd hesitated literally right at the end and hadn't known how to sign the damn thing. Well, he wasn't gonna rewrite it now. If he did he'd just end up second-guessing everything in it, and for as stupid as it was, it'd at least been genuine. That mattered, so the letter got sent off as it was, along with a box of chocolates he'd made with Yugiri's help.

What a surreal existence Kagayaku now lived. Used by neither his own master nor the daughter that had wielded him for two centuries, and yet powerful enough from both their hands that he could hardly be contained by a mere blade. Ah, it was all well and good to spend his time watching out for his little girl, but she didn't quite need him looking over her shoulder every second. Well, at least there was one thing he could do for her.

Taking up a brush, Kagayaku sat and lazily began to write a letter, his handwriting lazy but almost elegant in the way each stroke flowed from one to the next. Like the stroke of a blade, or the spilling of blood.

Nagoshi Kanae,

Forgive me for writing this letter by way of anonymity, but I wouldn't wish to put myself into any more danger than I already am simply by merit of your release. It's Valentine's Day, you know. I'm sure this isn't a holiday you're particularly familiar with, given it was hardly something we knew about a thousand years ago. A day where everyone sends letters and gifts to those they admire and hold dear.

Well, this isn't the second one, obviously. I'm not even so sure it's the first one. But you remind me of myself, and that's something both beautiful and terrifying to think about. You probably haven't changed, if I had to take a guess, but here you are, walking free, reading this letter. If you haven't, then I'd suggest you step carefully. Think about your every action from here on.

Otherwise, that beautiful face of yours will be laying in blood-soaked dirt before you know it. That would be such a waste.

Best,
A bloodstained admirer.

Folding the letter neatly, Kagayaku rolled his shoulders and readied himself to deliver the letter without anyone noticing. He was hardly slow, and he still knew a thing or two about subterfuge. All that time in the Onmitsukido had paid off.

The children that so often caused a great deal of noise in the Kyoraku were all asleep, thankfully, and Abalia had a brief bit of time to herself. The very idea of "time to herself" had been alien for much of her life. Still, it wasn't unpleasant, and as her brush moved carefully over the letter she wrote, a small, contented smile adorned the face of the woman who had been known for her eternally harsh stare.

To my dear Kazuya,

I have never been one for especially flowered language, and while I have spent several days attempting to craft a poem or something similar that would befit this holiday, I have found that this is not a suitable use of my time. However, I think that it would be unthinkable were I to simply go without sending you a letter at all.

Love has been a feeling long alien in my life. I have cared for many, and the love that I have felt for my children was the only form of it that I knew. But you, Kazuya, have filled my every day with more happiness than I had known in all the rest of my years combined. Perhaps I ought to thank you for that, but I believe to say mere thanks would only lessen the meaning of it.

Instead, I would prefer to ask if you would wish to take the name of Kyoraku. I understand that you may have reservations about such a thing, and I would not wish to trample on any connection to your heritage. Please consider it, however.

But even if you feel it would not be acceptable, I still wish to make a family with you.

With all of my love,
Kyoraku Ichijou Abalia Sesshouin
京楽弌女訐理娃殺生院